Reports and Reid
by MaidenMoonshine
Summary: When Reid gets into trouble, both he and Hotch learn a lot from the experience. Two chapters. First chapter has now been edited.
1. Chapter 1

**So, this was the first Criminal Minds fanfiction that I wrote, but I haven't posted it until now. It is a two-parter so I hope that you'll take the time to review and let me know what you think and what you hope will be in the second chapter. :)**

 **Note: I know that some people did not like parts of this story the first time that I posted this story. I apologize. I read back over the story and could see the negative side that some people commented on. I guess that I have the benefit of already knowing the second chapter but I don't want to leave it all messed up. I hope that this edit helps alleviate any annoyances. :)**

"Reid! My office - now."

Dr. Spencer Reid cringed internally as he heard Hotch's firm, no-nonsense command.

 _What have I done now?_

Reid desperately tried to think of anything that could have warranted the impending lecture that Hotch must have in store for him. He could not think of anything Hotch would know about that he had done at work that would require disciplinary action from his unit chief. Coming up empty, he started thinking through the longer list of things that he had figure that Hotch would not know about - it was surprisingly long. Spencer's stomach began to tighten. Not knowing the reason for the summons to Hotch's office was unsettling. He would have no time to prepare his defense.

"What'd you do to get Hotch so riled before the work day even started?" Derek Morgan asked curiously.

 _Oh no! Nosy Morgan, here to question and embarrass me_ , Reid groaned to himself.

"Whatever it is, I'd suggest that you get up to his office quickly" Emily Prentiss interjected into the conversation. "Hotch does not look like he's in a mood to be kept wait…."

"Reid!" Hotch snapped from the doorway to his office. "I said 'now'!"

Reid scrambled to his feet and hurried to Hotch's office, trying to avoid his boss' glare as the older agent stood by the door and closed it behind them, no doubt to give some level of privacy to their discussion. Well, perhaps they could have privacy. It would depend. With so many talented and inquisitive co-workers who doubled as profilers, it was hard to keep secrets. Especially when those co-workers seemed convinced that Spencer's business was also theirs. Sencer glumly felt that the closed door was simply a formality. He gulped nervously as Hotch brushed past on the way to his desk.

"Sit."

Spencer sat. He nervously licked his lips.

"Reid, do you know why you are here?" Hotch demanded.

"Uh, no," stuttered Spencer, hoping not to fuel the fire in Hotch's eyes with his answer to the negative. Besides, it was true - he was very unsure of what actions had brought on this severe reaction.

"Last night?" prompted Hotch as he stood behind his desk, staring down at the boy genius. He crossed his arms and waited.

"Last night?" mumbled Reid aloud, although he was talking to himself. He was wracking his well-practiced brain for an answer, but none was forthcoming. One timid glance up at Hotch's face yielded no clues - until Hotch glanced down at the empty file folder in front of him.

 _Oh, shoot! He found out that I did not file my report last night._

Hotch suppressed a chuckle at the look on Reid's face. The kid could rarely keep his emotions concealed when confronted with evidence. Hotch had watched the whole show since Spencer had come in the office. First timidness, confusion, and a few flashes of guilt for what Hotch assumed were some small, hidden infractions committed over the last week or so. Then after seeing the file folder, recognition of the issue had flashed in Reid's eyes. Embarrassment, repentance, shame, panic, and even some level of fear took over - Hotch watched, silently letting Reid process his thoughts and emotions. He did feel a small amount of sympathy for the kid - Reid always did look so pitiful when he got into trouble, which was thankfully not too often. Yet Hotch did feel satisfied with Reid's reaction. It was time for him to feel uncomfortable. Reminders and rebukes had not worked lately. It was time to step up the consequences. Hotch took a deep breath.

"Yes, last night. Do you remember what I told you?"

Spencer gulped and nodded.

"What did I tell you to do?" Hotch questioned. He knew that, no matter how much Reid might hate this, he needed to admit his error.

"Write a report on my observations of the crime scene we saw yesterday," Spencer admitted, his eyes glued on the desk. Hotch was acting much sterner than normal and it was unsettling.

"When was that report due?" Hotch persisted, feeling rather like he was dealing with his young son at home. And running on little sleep and high stress resulted in him being a lot harsher than he ever was at home. "Well, Reid? Answer me."

"Sorry," mumbled Spencer, hoping to end the interview. His ploy did not work on the worldly-wise Hotch who was fully frustrated.

"Just answer the question."

Very quietly - "Last night, before I went home."

"Yes." _Halfway there_. "Was that too much to ask of you before you left?"

"Umm…."

"Reid!" Hotch's very thin patience was now on its last strand. _Just confess, admit what you did was wrong, and accept punishment. I know it is hard, but you can do it. Grow up, son!_

"No 'umms', Spencer Reid. I have just about had it with your evasion of my questions. The truth - now!"

Spencer shifted his eyes from side to side. He knew that he was trapped. He considered lying but he could see that nothing would be getting past Hotch. He ducked his head, hating the scowl that Hotch was aiming in his direction. "I thought that I could just do it this morning." Then he mumbled quietly enough that he was sure Hotch would not hear, "And I was certain that you would not find out since you never do."

Hotch did hear and Reid's doom was sealed.

"Oh, I never find out, do I? And how come I have had to have this conversation with you several times already, young man? I believe that you remember those talks?"

"Yes, sir." Shame tinged Spencer's face and voice. But why was Hotch so annoyed? This was abnormal.

"Any explanations?" Hotch tried to wait patiently, tried to give Reid a fair chance.

 _He's young - give him time to learn and grow. Just have patience…._

Spencer fidgeted. _Hotch is running out of patience. Time to own up before he punishes me worse than I've already earned - according to him._

"No, sir."

"Very well. You have until 9:30 on the dot to complete that report. Then you will work through all of the cold cases saved in filing cabinet 12. Understood?"

Spencer began to protest. "But Hotch, I have an interview with Morgan today. I have to…."

"No, you don't. Prentiss will cover for you. You will be doing those cold cases today and tomorrow." Hotch carefully watched Reid's face. The young man still had so much to learn about mastering the tiny muscles in his face that revealed his emotions. Hotch waited now to see if Reid had accepted the punishment, trying to hide his own amusement at Reid's obvious struggle. First surprise, shock, and incredulousness that Hotch would get after him for protesting, quickly followed by a brief flicker of anger and rebellion. Hotch just waited, not minding that his youngest agent was in all probability mad at him. There it was - the half-hidden expression of guilt mixed with shame, and finally resignation and submission to Hotch's punishment. Then Reid's youthful face went blank as he finally hid his emotions, but Hotch was satisfied. He glanced up at the clock on his wall. "You have one hour to write that report and have it on my desk. I would suggest that you go get started. You are dismissed."

Spencer did not look at Hotch, just muttered "Yes, sir" loudly enough to be considered respectful, before turning and walking stiffly out of the office.

Hotch looked after him and sighed.

And tried to ignore the small feeling of guilt that had started forming in the pit of his stomach once Spencer walked out of his office.

 **A/N: What did you think? Please review and let me know! God bless and have a great day!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So, here is chapter two!**

 **Thanks to the two reviewers from the last chapter! You pointed out that I made the character of Hotch a little harsher than I had intended. I edited the last chapter, so hopefully that fixed that problem. It also helped me edit this chapter. I hope that this version will be more enjoyable!**

 **I appreciate all reviews (as long as they are respectful). Even though this is the last chapter for this story, I would appreciate if those who read would review. Let me know what you liked or didn't like. It will help me in writing future stories for this fandom. Thanks! I appreciate it!**

 **Now, enjoy!**

A tap on his door pulled Hotch from the world of paperwork back to reality. He turned and saw Rossi waiting. Hotch rose He may have a higher rank, but he had great respect for the older agent. "Rossi, come in. What can I do for you?"

Rossi entered Hotch's office and closed the door behind him before taking the offered seat. Hotch noted the deep frown on his face. "I want to talk to you about Reid."

Hotch tried to think of what Rossi would be referring to about the young man. Since his talk with Reid a week ago, the genius had been exemplary in his conduct. Each report had been handed in on time, every request heeded like a command. If anything, to Hotch's knowledge, Reid had been perfect. Of course, Rossi might have a differing opinion.

"Yes?" Hotch asked with a sigh. "What is it now?"

"Now? What do you mean by that?" Rossi asked curiously, picking up on the tension in Hotch's words. Hotch shook his head dismissively.

"Nothing." He felt a twinge of guilt. If Rossi was concerned maybe...

"Nothing really - just, have you seen the difference in the way he is acting?"

"Elaborate."

"It is hard to pin down, but I think that it started that day you grounded him to his desk to work on cold cases. I know that you got after him for not filling out reports in the time specified, but what exactly did you do to him?"

Hotch began to feel uncomfortable. "I believe I confronted him on his disregard of deadlines for reports lately and made him do desk work for the next two days. Why? What is he doing now?"

Rossi shrugged. "I don't quite know. The kid isn't doing anything wrong - don't worry about that - he just hasn't been himself. He does everything required of him and does it thoroughly. He hasn't been distracted or distracting others. But he also seems different. He isn't relaxed. Instead, he walks about almost ... stiffly, especially when you are around. Haven't you noticed that?"

Hotch slowly shook his head. "This week has been so busy that I can honestly say I haven't noticed anything, but that doesn't mean it wasn't there."

Rossi nodded thoughtfully. "Reid has been acting like a whipped puppy, specifically around you. My guess would be that you let yourself take out all of your frustrations about our last case on him because he was the first person to mess up."

Hotch guiltily nodded. "That would about sum it up." He sighed and rubbed his temples. Sometimes the people interactions in this job were even more difficult than the actual profiling.

"Hotch, we're a bit more like a family than a team. Maybe remember that next time the frustration builds up. You can't let stress tear you or this team apart."

"I won't." Hotch was back to his characteristic take-care-of-it attitude. Rossi smiled.

"So you will fix whatever went wrong with Reid?"

"I will."

"Good. I'll leave you to it." Rossi left the office, leaving Hotch to think through how to fix things with Reid.

…..

"Reid. My office. Now."

Spencer internally flinched at the no-nonsense command. His gut tightened.

 _What now? Does he look more stressed than last week? I don't know. And I have no clue why he is wanting to talk to me. I don't think that I did anything that would upset him - I've certainly been trying not too!_

He reluctantly stood and made his way to Hotch's office.

Hotch waited by the office door, closing it after Reid.

"Have a seat."

Quietly - "Yes, sir."

Reid gingerly sat in one of the chairs in front of Hotch's desk, then gazed at the ground. He felt confused and anxious. It only increased when Hotch sat down next to him.

"Reid."

"Sir."

"Can you look at me?" Hotch requested. It was much easier for him to read Reid's body language when he could see his face. Reid looked up. The uncertainty and trepidation in his features proved that Rossi was right.

Hotch eventually let out a long breath. "Reid, was I harsh with you last week about those reports?"

Spencer jerked his eyes away from Hotch and suddenly became fascinated by the texture of his blazer.

Hotch leaned back and searched Reid's face sadly. "I was, wasn't I?"

Reid shrugged, still avoiding eye contact.

Hotch sighed.

"Spencer, look at me."

By using his agents first name Hotch hoped to get through to him. It worked. Spencer's eyes flickered up and Hotch captured his gaze.

"I'm sorry." Spencer's eyes grew large and he blinked furiously. In any other circumstances Hotch would have found it funny. Right now all he felt was sadness that his subordinate had to look so surprised that Hotch regretted his hasty and angry response. "I'm sorry that I responded when I was still upset. I should have been more understanding. You always do a good job on your paperwork - you do it better than a lot of others on the team."

This elicited a smile from Spencer.

 _He's likely referring to Morgan!_

"When I give instructions that I need paperwork before a certain time, I do need it. But I guess that night I was being unreasonable."

"I'm sorry. I should have gotten it to you before," murmured Spencer.

"I already knew that. And that's why I'm sorry. I was pushing you all past any point of common sense that day and you needed rest. I know that you would have gotten me the paper I needed before I had to hand in the reports by noon the next day. From now on, if you don't think that paperwork is urgent and you need rest after a hard case, just let me know, okay? That way we can avoid any problems on both sides."

Spencer nodded, blinking furiously. Hotch stood and Spencer scrambled to feet awkwardly. Hotch looked at Spencer and smiled. "Keep up the good work."

Spencer nodded, and at Hotch's dismissal he went back to his desk, slightly boggled.

 _I wasn't in trouble after all. Hotch wasn't upset - instead he actually apologized!_

And with that new, valuable information stored away in his big brain, Spencer Reid dove back into writing his report. There was plenty of time to complete it and Hotch would need it before the team headed home for the night.

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